Neighborhood Watch Meeting Review

Date of Meeting: 10/26/2009

Re-cap of Septembers meeting

120 turn-out, Suggestions in designing Safe Home Window Sign, Positions described.

Halloween Safety

Trick or Treating 1-6pm

Report any:

after hour trick or treaters

Suspicious behavior or vehicles

Try to give good description: possible hair color, height, any helpful tattoos or markings

Always have cell phone handy and/or pen and paper handy to write down any suspicious license
plate numbers and or descriptions

Keep all doors locked for unwanted visitors, this means even between trick or treaters

See Halloween Safety Handout for more information

Special Thanks

We would like to say thank you to Eric Diehl, Michele Helsel, Jeff Stawick, and Pam Pansa, (and anyone else I
failed to mention) from School District #194 for providing Neighborhood Watch a place to hold meetings,
making numerous copies of this months’ flyer for us to hand out to residents, providing refreshments for
tonight’s meeting and their all around support.

A really big thanks to Carl Budig Co. for donating 2 copiers and toner to our program. Plus, thanks to Catherine
for arranging it.

Last Minute Copy Shop in Steger has provided complimentary flyers and provided us with flyers at a great
discount and we thank them for that.

We would also like to give special thanks to Cindi Gaz from the Steger-South Chicago Heights Library for
spending her personal time to read to the kids tonight.

Local businesses have agreed to do their part to prevent vandalism and graffiti this Halloween by limiting the
sale of spray paint, eggs, and toilet paper. Thank you to them as well.

Also, Thank you to everyone who spent their time and energy passing out flyers door-to-door or bringing stacks
of flyers to local businesses.
Anonymous Tips

1. Anyone driving through town should be able to see that Steger is a Neighborhood Watch town and be able to
spot the sign upon entering Steger.

• We have to order the metal street signs and as soon as we get them they will be posted in various places
around Steger.

2. Gang graffiti was mentioned on 31st Street.

• Cook County Cleanup was notified and it was cleaned up

3. Shoes over power lines on 30th Place by Saukview indicating a drug dealer or gang in the neighborhood.

• We talked to the Police Dept., Public works and ComEd. Not sure which but the shoes are down.

4. Park at Columbia school needs more patrols. A resident has been cleaning up trash that has been dumped by
there. Toilets there need to be secured somehow to prevent them from being knocked over.

• Ok, the police do patrol the area, but can't be everywhere at once. Picking up trash is greatly appreciated.
If there is more we would like you to put in another tip tonight or speak to one of us after the meeting,
we will do our best to figure this out.

5. Someone said they would like to see all crimes that occur in Steger to appear in the Star newspaper police
beat.

• The Star Newspaper reporter comes to the police station weekly and goes through the police logs and
picks and chooses what they want to put in the paper. Unfortunately neither police nor Neighborhood
Watch can tell them what to put in the paper.

6. A suggestion was made for the signs for Neighborhood Watch to be bright yellow or lime green.

• Once we figure how many members are joining for sure we can order the signs and this suggestion will
be considered. It was discussed that yellow and lime green fade quickly.

7. A suggestion was made about if there is help needed to pass out flyers to post it on the website.

• Detective Fajman just updated the Steger Police website with an entire section for Neighborhood Watch.
Here you can find useful tools for helping secure your home and belongings as well as information on
the next meeting. This section of the site will be updated regularly and help is needed for passing out
flyers, it will be posted here.

8. Another suggestion was to have more frequent meetings.

• At this time, we are doing monthly meetings. We are hoping for a good turnout at every meeting. As
soon as we are established we can possibly have a vote to see if the majority of members would like to
meet more often. If a serious situation occurs, then this also may be a time for more frequent meetings.
Plus we were thinking of Zone meetings.

Police Tips
1. Someone sent a tip of drug dealing on a corner house on West 45th Street.

• Unless this is a mistaken address there is no W 45th Street in Steger. Another tip would be appreciated if
the right address is known.
• Other Items discussed

Now available: Zone Sheets regarding different Zones, if interested.

If finding a babysitter is an issue to attend meetings, we will now have the National Jr. Honor Society
earning community service credits by watching kids in another room at the meetings. There will be
activities for them to do there.

The Police Department announced that since last month’s meetings they have had more tips called into
the department, and they hope it continues.

Crimes happened since last month meetings:

Car theft
Arson
Robberies at Local Businesses (Shell on Kings and PK’s)
ATV complaints, not legal only on your own property
Bike thefts (left bikes out over night)
Home Invasions (3 different houses all during the day) Watch for gold/tan 1990 Chevy Blazer
Car Robbery (cars left unlocked)
Steger Auto (rims where taken off of car right in parking lot)

For a detailed list see: Crime Report 102609

TIPS ARE ALWAYS ANONYMOUS

Evergreen Cemetery big topic with safety for our children walking through to school and after, drug
dealers seen, profanity, indecent exposure, several safety matters need to be taken in concern.

Plan - speak to the owners of cemetery to try to either put of sign or gate of some sort also notifying will
county police to do more patrol through the area. Not part of Steger’s District. Steger Police will work
with Will County to address this problem.

Update: Parkview's principal sent a notice home to parents about this situation to hopefully keep kids
out of harm's way.
Sex Offenders in Steger can be found on the following websites:

StegerPolice.org under sex offender

IllinoisSexOffender.org

FamilyWatchDog.com or

Attached sheet

Neighborhood Watch jobs qualification:

Member - sign in window, watch and attend all meetings

Captain - sing in window, watch, attend all meetings, as well as in charge of getting information out to your
block

Zone Captain - sign in window, watch, attend all meetings and in charge of notifying your captains in your
zone

Safe Home - sign in window, watch, attend all meetings, need background check everyone 18yrs older living in
home, and police officer does brief check of home for safety purposes